50 First Dates
Published by Kaonashi February 27th, 2006 in Comedy, Romance, Relationships.Speaking of Drew Barrymore…
Title: 50 First Dates
Year: 2004
Director: Peter Segal
Starring Cast: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Sean Astin, Rob Schneider
Rated: PG-13
NoFace Rating: 5 out of 7
You know what’s funny? I actually refused to see this film. My boyfriend recommended it to me several times but I kept turning it down. Why? Because I had known the basic premise of the film and thought it would end sadly. Then a couple of months ago I caught part of it on HBO, and I laughed my ass off. I didn’t get to see the rest of it that day, but about two weeks ago my boyfriend suggests one more time to rent this film. And I said yes, and I’m really glad that I did.
Adam Sandler is Henry, a veterinarian at a marine theme park (like Sea World). Henry is super fortunate to live in Hawaii, and as a result he meets many sexy female tourists looking for a fling in a tropical paradise. One morning Henry has breakfast at a diner when he sees a pretty blonde girl (Barrymore) making a house out of her waffles. He strikes a conversation with the girl- named Lucy- and they hit it off. Expecting to see her again at the same place the next morning, Henry returns to the restaurant to find that Lucy doesn’t remember him at all.
Henry learns from the diner’s owner that a year ago Lucy was in a terrible car accident and suffers from short-term memory loss. Unlike Guy Pearce’s character in Memento however, Lucy’s memory at least lasts for a day. Strangely enamored by this woman, Henry goes out of his way to continue “dating” her, even though she completely forgets about him the next day.
There are admittedly some weak spots. I question the purpose of the character Alexa (played by Lucia Strus), Henry’s assistant. It’s like ok, I get it- Alexa’s sexually ambiguous. Ha ha. She/he had nothing to contribute to the plot. Dan Akroyd’s cameo as Lucy’s neurologist is also kind of weak. He wasn’t very funny, except in a scene with Sean Astin. Also, there’s a silly, juvenile scene near the beginning involving a sea lion which doesn’t really fit with the rest of the movie. It feels like it was added on for the benefit of Sandler’s main fanbase, which are 19-year old fratboys. Some critics feel that it would have been best if the film had started from the moment that Henry met Lucy, but I don’t quite agree. The beginning had to establish that Henry isn’t into commitment- he dates a new woman every week, so when we see him go out of his way to be with Lucy, this shows that his feelings for her are sincere.
Overall though, this film was great. It’s really, really funny. Funny in a laughing your ass out loud funny. However, it’s not just a bunch of stupid fart jokes. It’s actually well-written. There are many tender moments that make you go, “Awwwwwwwwww”, and these scenes are properly balanced with the funny moments. Sandler and Barrymore are once again a terrific comedic team, as proven in their earlier hit movie The Wedding Singer (I love, love, love that movie!). They’ve got great comedic and romantic chemistry on the big screen. I hope they team up again on another film.
The supporting cast was also great. Sean Astin is, oh my God, unbelievably hilarious as Lucy’s spandex-wearing, pecs-flexing, ‘rhoids popping, lisping gym rat brother Doug. This role was miles and miles away from Samwise Gamgee. I was in tears during nearly every scene involving Doug. Rob Schneider (pretty much a staple in any Sandler flick, and vice versa) was hysterical as Henry’s friend Ula, as he walks around with half his butt exposed and being teased mercilessly by his 5 adorable kids. However, even though Schneider is the actual comedian, I think that Astin was actually a lot funnier.
By the way, earlier I compared 50 First Dates with Memento. What’s interesting is that in a way, this film actually does a better job in covering up a huge, gaping error in Memento’s plot: whereas Lucy doesn’t remember being in the accident and losing her memory, Memento’s Leonard is fully aware of his memory loss and the incident that caused it.
Guys and girls will both like 50 First Dates. Guys will like it because well, it’s got Adam Sandler, and there are many, many really funny scenes. Girls will like it because it’s a very sweet and romantic movie. If you’re looking for a movie to rent that’ll make you hold your sides with laughter one minute but then go, “Awwwwwwwwwww” the next, then check out this movie. Watch it with your boyfriend/girlfriend, or spouse.
Technorati Tags: 50 First Dates, Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Sean Astin, Rob Schneider, memory loss, short-term memory, Hawaii
2 Responses to “50 First Dates”
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the reason for dan ackroyd’s character was to help pay tribute to adam and dans lost friend chris farley. any sandler/farley fan knows that in the movie ‘tommy boy’ tommy’s last name was callahan. if you notice in 50 first dates, dan’s doctor character works at ‘callahan institute’ later in the movie in a background type voice scene you can hear dan ackroyd saying that the callahan institute was funded by t.b. callahan…..a reference to tommy boy/farley. it was a touching little tribute that i caught and knew that they did this as a momento of chris. dan ackroyd was also in the movie tommy boy. it touches me that adam sandler uses his friends in all of his movies and he seems like such a NICE guy that despite the frat boy humor sometimes i enjoy every one of his movies and i am a 55 year old ‘nana’.
his happy madison movies are in my dvd collection and always will be. loved this movie.
nana- Thanks very much for that information regarding Dan Akroyd’s character. I saw Tommy Boy a long, long time ago so I didn’t make the “Callahan” connection.
I agree that it’s pretty cool how Sandler always has his friends in his movies, and vice versa.